Malware is a general term commonly used to refer to malicious software (e.g., including a variety of hostile, intrusive, and/or otherwise unwanted software). For example, malware is software used or created by attackers or hackers to disrupt computer and/or computer network operation, steal proprietary information (e.g., confidential information, such as identity, financial, and/or intellectual property related information), and/or gain access to private/proprietary computer systems and/or computer networks. Malware can be in the form of code, scripts, active content, and/or other software.
Malware includes computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, rootkits, key loggers, spyware, adware, and/or other malicious programs. Malware typically does not refer to simply defective software, which is software that has a legitimate purpose but can include harmful bugs and/or vulnerabilities that were not corrected before release of the software. However, some malware is disguised as genuine software and can come from an official company website. For example, otherwise legitimate software can be improperly packed with additional tracking software that gathers user information without user permission.